National and Virginia News Headlines: Wednesday Morning

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, June 24. Also check out VPAP, which finds: “Throughout most of Virginia, the General Assembly elections this November will be a mere formality. In 79 of 140 districts, only one name will appear on the ballot. The lack of competition is particularly keen in the House of Delegates, where 62 of 100 seats are uncontested…The percentage of contested seats is down slightly from four years ago, the last year when both House and Senate seats were up for election.”

*Tally Counters Perceptions of Top Terror Threat in U.S. (“Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed on American soil by white supremacists, antigovernment fanatics and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims, according to a count by a research group in Washington.”)

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe signed Executive Order 44 today, establishing the Parole Review and Update Commission to evaluate policy, assess progress and public safety outcomes, and determine whether the intended goals of abolishing parole for felony offenders have been achieved.

“Twenty years after this Commonwealth banned parole, I believe it is appropriate to examine that policy to determine if it’s the best, most cost-effective way to keep people safe,” said Governor McAuliffe. “In Virginia we currently have 30,369 inmates incarcerated in state correctional facilities, at an average cost of $27,462 per inmate, per year. I believe we owe it to Virginians to consider new ideas for keeping people safe, rehabilitating offenders, and spending every single taxpayer dollar as wisely as possible.”

The Parole Review and Update Commission will consider evidence-based approaches to public safety and proper rehabilitation of offenders to prepare them to re-enter communities as productive citizens. Former Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley will chair the commission alongside Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran and Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney.

June 24, 2015 (Washington, DC) – Congressman Don Beyer introduced the Keeping Guns from Criminals Act to close a loophole in federal law that allows straw purchasers and gun traffickers to funnel firearms to felons, juveniles, and other restricted purchasers with little to no risk of being prosecuted.

“This is not a complicated issue: No one wants guns in the hands of dangerous criminals,” said Rep. Beyer. “Time and again Congress fails to make meaningful progress to prevent gun violence in the face of overwhelming national demand to do so. The Keeping Guns from Criminals Act will ensure that only responsible gun owners are able to purchase a firearm. There is no reason for us to wait for another tragedy to make this commonsense idea a reality to protect our families.”

“This common-sense bill encourages every gun seller–including unlicensed sellers doing business online or at gun shows–to do a Brady background check before selling a gun,” said Brian Malte, Senior National Policy Director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C. “The consequences of providing a gun to a felon, fugitive, domestic abuser, or drug addict are deadly, and this common-sense bill will hold unlicensed sellers responsible for putting a gun into dangerous hands without doing a Brady background check.”

The Keeping Guns from Criminals Act would streamline law enforcement efforts to ensure safe firearms transfers between lawful owners. The Act would make it easier to prosecute private sellers who make irresponsible sales by requiring them to prove that the purchase was approved by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or

​that the purchaser ​held a concealed weapons permit in the state of transfer.

“In the wake of yet another gun tragedy, what this nation needs is fresh thinking and a new approach to reforming our toothless and unenforceable gun laws,” said Sarah Trumble, Senior Policy Counsel at Third Way. “The Keeping Criminals from Guns Act is a smart, common sense way to prevent people from unintentionally selling their guns to criminals and to crack down on those who are taking advantage of existing loopholes in the law to intentionally arm those who are prohibited from buying or owning a gun. By encouraging gun owners to do the responsible thing and run a background check before selling their guns, especially if they are selling to a stranger, the bill will ensure that fewer guns fall into the hands of those who will use them to harm others.”

NICS background checks are available through most Federal Firearm Licensees (FFL) for a nominal fee of around $30. According the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, there are nearly 130,000 FFLs nationwide.